Summer…but not summer

British summer…well, up north it is fairly non-existent. We’ve had alot of rain. Alot of humidity. And a few days of good, ol’fashioned sunshininess. Complaining–me? Never! But seriously, I can’t complain–in America, it’s currently in the 100s of degrees Fahrenheit, which, in my book, is encroaching on WTF temperatures.

The L-town crew, circa 1987

My parents are coming over soon for a visit. They haven’t seen their 9 month old grandson since he was born, so, it’s going to be a pretty exciting visit. I miss them–my parents. My sister. My best friend. I also miss my childhood and teenage years in the States–ok, not the WHOLE time. But the summers. They were the BEST.

• The vacations–to Amish country, renting a house in Ocean City, MD or in the Poconos with my aunt’s family
• playing outside
• sun-showers and running inside for a towel
• trips to the pool
• staying in our neighbours pool ALL DAY until we were ‘water-logged’
• trips out for ice-cream and sitting on the pull-down of my dad’s truck or our family’s station wagon while we ate it
• riding in the back of my dad’s flatbed truck (before it was illegal)
• waiting and then RUNNING for the ice-cream man
• the smell of newly mowed grass, even with the lawnmower/petrol smell, which, ALWAYS reminds me of my dad SO HARD that I end up aching with how much I miss him
• summer thunderstorms–and sitting outside on the carport watching the lightning crash
• Family barbecues
• visiting my grandparents and aunt, uncle, and cousins in upstate PA
• playing ALL day, with kids on the street–and later, in my teens, riding around with friends and going on road trips
• In high school–going away to the theatre festival at William and Mary College in Virginia

Our set for ‘Godspell’, 1998

• My birthday!
• Going to the shore–walking around the boardwalk and spending a small fortune trying to win candy and stuffed toys…or, in my parents case–cigarettes
• St Mikes Fair–the tilt-a-whurl is still my favourite ride!
• rolling up, at the end of summer, to the school to see what teacher we’d have that year…

There’s SO much that I remember and adore about that time. So much that I hold in my heart, and in my soul. I hope my son has just as good a time in the summer…even a northern British summer!